WA Child Safety Services in Malaga | Non-profit organisation
WA Child Safety Services
Locality: Malaga
Phone: +61 1300 310 083
Address: 312 Victoria Road 6090 Malaga, WA, Australia
Website: https://wachildsafetyservices.com
Likes: 7536
Reviews
to load big map
23.01.2022 Today, new State Government laws come into effect that make strangulation and suffocation a criminal offence with a penalty of up to seven years jail. Part of the Family Violence Legislation Reform Act, the laws have singled out strangulation and suffocation to recognise the seriousness of such violence. Azelene Williams was just a teenager when she escaped a violent relationship but 20 years later she is still suffering the health problems that resulted from being strangled ...by her abusive boyfriend. She is now an anti-domestic violence advocate who visits schools as part of the healthy relationships program for WA Child Safety Services. See details in the flyer below on engaging Azelene as a guest speaker into your Protective Behaviours/Keeping Safe Secondary School Program.
23.01.2022 One of the subskills in any cyber safety program is helping children and young people learn strategies to identify and avoid sharing ‘fake news’. Here is a fun $6.00 game from K-Mart that you could play at home (we played it last night on holidays) or in a classroom. Who can spot the ‘fake’ news stories from the ‘real’ news stories?... If you want to share more information with your children or students about ‘real’ and ‘fake’ news see below... Fake news is.... Disinformation for profit - hoax sites who engineer fake news stories to reap digital advertising revenue Disinformation for political gain - state-funded fraudulent websites set up by one country to sow confusion in another Hacking - Hackers gain access to the websites or social media accounts of reputable news outlets and disseminate fake stories. Viral pranks - hoaxes spread for fun Uncritically reporting a hoax as fact: a well-crafted hoax spreads widely enough that a credible news outlet reports on it as fact or as a rumor Fake news is NOT.... Satire Websites: Websites like The Onion write news parodies. Readers who don’t know it’s satire may mistake it for fact. Satirical stories from regular news sites: Opinion and feature writers in mainstream media will sometimes use satire or fanciful hypothetical examples to make a point. Honest reporting mistakes: Even the best reporters sometimes get things wrong, report things as fact before they’re confirmed or get spun by sources who aren’t telling the whole truth. But if there’s no intention to fool anyone, it’s not fake news. Journalism you don’t like: Just because you don’t like what the author says, that doesn’t make it fake news. (See Common Sense Media for more information) Some great classroom ideas from the BBC on Real vs Fake news https://www.bbc.co.uk///help-your-students-spot-false-news
22.01.2022 Thank you for your advocacy Azelene Williams - Holistic Counselling Services on such a critical piece of legislation.
22.01.2022 WACSS Trainer Amanda Grimbly (BA Psychology) is ‘wondering out yonder’ this week in sunny Kununurra. Amanda is delivering cyber safety and digital wellness lessons to every student from Year 6 to Year 11 plus staff professional development. Schools are reporting to Amanda that there has been a significant increase in online safety issues for students in the past 6 months.... If you would like to book WACSS to deliver cyber safety and digital wellness school sessions/staff PD to complement your Protective Behaviours/Keeping Safe Curriculum please contact us. WACSS has been endorsed by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner as a Trusted eSafety Provider.
18.01.2022 On behalf of WACSS, Congratulations Erin's Law, Erin Merryn- such a well deserved award from the National Association of Social Workers (United States). The National Association of Social Workers Foundation (NASWF) has announced social worker Erin Merryn, MSW, as the recipient of its Knee/Wittman Outstanding Achievement Award for her nationally known work in preventing childhood sexual abuse. The NASW Foundation is proud to bestow this honor upon Erin Merryn, NASWF Director... Robert Carter Arnold said. Ms. Merryn’s tireless efforts have been instrumental in trying to have all public schools in our nation implement a prevention-oriented child sexual abuse program. The Knee/Wittman Award Program was established in 1990 to recognize those who represent the values, ethics, and approaches exemplified by two dedicated social work pioneers, Ruth Knee (1920-2008) and Milton Wittman (1915-1994). The Outstanding Achievement Award recognizes an individual or group that has made a significant impact on national health and/or mental health public policy, professional standards, or exemplary program models. The contribution may be in the development, interpretation, implementation, institutionalization, or expansion of health or mental health policy or legislation. Merryn has long advocated for states to enact Erin’s Law, which requires public schools to implement a prevention-oriented program that ensures every child in kindergarten through twelfth grade receives sexual abuse prevention education.
17.01.2022 Self care for parents & self care for professionals! No matter what self care strategies, activities, routines and practices you choose, the goal is to figure out which ones work best for you, learn how to use these strategies, and implement them in your regular routine so you can boost your well-being not only today but forever! What are some of the small joys in your life...
17.01.2022 WACSS have been a long time supporter of Children’s Week and we seeing many of our followers at the Whiteman Park Children’s Week fun day. Important Information- this year you are required to register (free) online prior to Sunday’s event. See link below.... Please come and say hi at the WACSS display on Sunday (10-2).
16.01.2022 One of the favourite resources that we share with teachers and educators during a Protective Behaviours Professional Development is the Kimochis collection of soft toys that are a great tool to support the social and emotional learning aspect of prevention education. They have been designed to give children the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to recognize and manage their emotions, demonstrate caring and concern for others, establish positive relationships, make re...sponsible decisions, and handle challenging situations constructively. If you have any of the Kimochis resources then we are sure they are a valuable addition to your Protective Behaviours Program - Click on the link below for a catchy little set of Kimochi Character songs written by Samantha Hodge. https://drive.google.com//1LMnaB00vMSTO-iX6W4FSsBUVhvfUZSa
15.01.2022 In our WACSS digital wellness programs we teach parents and children the importance of reading through the terms & conditions before signing up to apps and social media platforms. We thought you might like this related bit of humour to start your working week! (Monday was a public holiday here in Western Australia).
13.01.2022 Workshop selfie! Thankyou to all the staff at Tiny Beez Education & Care Centre Claremont for inviting WACSS for part 2 of our Early Years Workshops. Tonight we had fun learning how to integrate Protective Behaviours into their program. Trainer Justine O’Malley is a Qualified Early Years Educator and can customise the workshop to meet the needs of your service. Contact WACSS today to book staff training for 2021.
13.01.2022 Do you work in a faith based school or organisation? You will love this new FREE faith based prevention education storybook that can be incorporated into your Protective Behaviours or Keeping Safe Primary School Curriculum. Written by Andrea Musulin (former EO of Protective Behaviours WA and current Director of the Catholic Safeguarding Office) and Justine O'Malley (in her role at Catholic Education) and illustrated by Safy Tashkandy. The book has been written for students i...n Years 3-5 and includes teacher and parent notes and a range of suggested discussion questions and conversation starters that can be used to initiate open and empowering dialogue with students about prevention education topics including safe and unsafe situations, warning signs, networks, pornography, public and private, safe and unsafe secrets and persisting in asking for help. This book was launched during Child Protection Week by the Archbishop of Perth. The online book is free - see link below. Hard copies can be purchased for $5.00 via the Safeguarding Office https://issuu.com//03_elizabeth_grace_story_book_rev_1.1_s
12.01.2022 I am honoured to be one of the guest speakers at The Midland March That Matters tomorrow morning. The 26th of November 2020 from 11:30 to 13:30. There is no ...excuse for abuse! Putting an end to domestic and family violence is everyone's responsibility. Hope to see some familiar faces there. Westfield Whitford City Ruah Relationships Australia WA City of Swan City of Joondalup See more
12.01.2022 To all those parents and teachers preparing for the start of term 4 next week - 'You've got this!' Don't forget to fill your cup though.
10.01.2022 Thank you for sharing this story Dr Justin Coulson's Happy Families - simple but profound ‘be kinder’... I think we all (children, teenagers, parents,professionals) could aspire to this!
10.01.2022 Thank you to @Hybrid Collective Homeschool Group for hosting two days of children's Protective Behaviours workshops. We had so much fun talking, singing and story telling about feelings, warning signs, body safety and networks. We learnt one of the all time favourite Protective Behaviours songs 'My Body Belongs to Me'! Here are the words so you can sing along at home as well.
09.01.2022 Well done Edith Cowan University (ECU)! Great to see these ‘Consent’ & ‘Without Consent’ posters around campus as part of the ‘Be a better human’ initiative. In 2017, The Australian Human Rights Commission conducted a randomised survey of university students and released the National Report on Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment at Australian Universities.... The report offered many suggestions for universities to adopt and while those recommendations are fantastic, students have a key role to play in changing the culture around sexual harassment and sexual assault. The Be a Better Human initiative was created by a group of students from the ground up, to reflect their campus culture and what they think everyone needs to appreciate consent, respect and empathy. Here at ECU we couldn't agree more! The campaign is called Be a Better Human, because it's not just about what we shouldn't do; it's also about self-improvement for everyone. And when we say 'everyone', we really do mean everyone. We're encouraging everyone who is part of our campus community to take a moment and consider how we can 'better' our behaviour.
09.01.2022 K-mart have the wooden feelings books back in stock. Only $3.75 - great stocking stuffer! Name the feeling - Help your child name their feelings by giving them a label. Naming feelings is the first step in helping children learn to identify them. It allows your child to develop an emotional vocabulary so they can talk about their feelings.
07.01.2022 Love this library display of feelings books- maybe suggest to your school or local librarian!
07.01.2022 If you have been teaching Protective Behaviours for a long time then you will remember the wonderful ‘Wibbly the Wombat’ Song about Networks, Persistence & Warning Signs by Jayne Heskett, a passionate PB educator. This lovely photo from Tasmania reminded us of the song! Reposted from Great Walks of Australia... Greetings from Cradle Mountain, Tasmania! This cute Mum, Dad and little baby wombat are out for a walk, enjoying some sunshine and the fresh spring air. Fun fact: did you know a group of wombats can be called either a mob, a colony or a wisdom of wombats? Awesome @Brecker58 via Instagram
06.01.2022 ***Trigger Warning*** The following cartoon strip shares the real life sexual abuse experience of the artist. Thankyou Rachel Pang Comics for sharing these raw and real life grooming examples through your illustrations.... Knowledge is power - the more we understand about the grooming process and sexual abuse, the better equipped we are to provide our children with prevention education as well as the knowledge that if abuse occurs it is never the fault of the child.
06.01.2022 WACSS had a great time at Whiteman Park today celebrating Children’s Week. Thank you to all the parents, educators and teachers who visited our display and to all the children who created ‘feeling faces stones’. It was a day but we always the opportunity to participate in community events. Did you know that WACSS Principal Trainer, Justine O’Malley and Fairy Queen Caroline (annual host of Children’s Week) studied Early Childhood Education together over 30 years ago!
05.01.2022 Presenting your Westfield Local Hero 2020! Your votes are in! Communities in Australia and New Zealand nominated and voted for those people who make a positive impact on their communities and environment.... The successful heroes and their affiliated organisations, will receive a grant of up to $10,000 to help them continue to grow their impact. In total, Westfield will grant $1.26 million this year. Drum Roll.... WACSS’s very own Azelene Williams is one of the Westfield Whitford City Local Heroes winners. Congratulations Azelene and we are very excited that you will be able to present school based Healthy Relationship programs in secondary schools and develop resources from a portion of this grant - please contact WACSS if you would like to organise a program at your school.
05.01.2022 Shout out to all the amazing Teachers & Educators out there! Is this how you feel during a Staff PD? Let WACSS change that for you!... For A Protective Behaviours PD that is inspiring, practical, informative and delivered by qualified professionals contact WACSS. We can deliver a full day Protective Behaviours PD that will... *support staff with skills and knowledge to implement a developmentally appropriate, cross curriculum protective behaviours program from K- 6 *enable schools to map the protective behaviours program to the National Curriculum *enable Non- Government schools to meet the requirements of Standard 10 *schools also have the option to purchase the new WACSS protective behaviours K-6 curriculum lesson plans-this will save teachers hours of preparation time! You can even purchase the resource kit so every book and resource required is at your fingertips! Contact WACSS today!
04.01.2022 A national survey by University of South Australia researchers has exposed serious gaps in the ability of early childhood teachers, primary educators and carers to identify and respond to young children displaying problematic sexual behaviours. There’s an increase in the number of children under 10 years of age exhibiting harmful sexual behaviour towards each other one of the related factors is exposure to pornography, which can lead to problematic sexual behaviours among... children. One of the drivers of the rise in child-on-child harmful sexual behaviours is children copying what they see in pornography. Therefore, it’s vitally important to provide children with language to identify, respond to and understand what pornography is, and why it’s harmful. The Youth Wellbeing Project has produced simple guidance to answer the question... ‘What steps should a teacher/parent take when a child discloses they’ve seen pornographic content’. All WACSS professional and parent trainings contain information on the impact of pornography on children and ways to address the issue. WACSS is an eSafety Trusted Provider, endorsed by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner
04.01.2022 Thank you to all the committed staff at Nido Early School for spending their Saturday at work and attending the WACSS Child Protection & WACSS Protective Behaviours workshops. Together we can create safer communities for our children!
04.01.2022 What a find we thought! A great wooden puzzle that examines all parts of the body. From the cardiovascular system to the skeletal system. But something is missing.... as detailed as the puzzle is, there are no private parts on the body, the girl and boy are exactly the same (except presumably the length of their hair!) What a missed opportunity to learn the words vagina, vulva, penis and testicles! In our experience the majority of children arrive at school with out knowing t...he correct terminology for the private parts of the body. Embarrassment, past parenting practices, thinking it is rude or inappropriate for children to use these words are usually behind the reasons parents don’t teach these words to young children. All the research however indicates that it is important children are taught the correct terminology as it forms a protective factor against sexual abuse, empowering children with a shared language to describe those parts of their body. Teaching children anatomically correct terms promotes positive body image, self confidence, and parent-child communication; discourages perpetrators; and, in the event of abuse, helps children and adults navigate the disclosure and forensic interview process. National Sexual Violence Resource Centre, 2013 I’m sure we have all had a (safe) secret chuckle when children are trying to remember or guess the correct anatomical names - last week one of WACSS trainers has a few smiles when a class of year one students were trying to remember the correct word for testicles... tentacles? testaments? Tesla? intestines? What’s the most unusual slang word for private parts that you have heard when working with children??? Please comment below!
03.01.2022 A tradition that grows bigger every year is Halloween! If your children are asking you to take them trick or treating this year it could be a great 'Protective Behaviours Teachable moment!" Here are some tips on having a safe Halloween evening (along side appropriate Covid measures depending on where you live)... 1. Ask your children how could someone stay safe if they go trick or treating? Together brainstorm some ideas and scenarios. Use this opportunity to discuss how th...ey are feeling about Halloween and dressing up - there may be a mix of emotions 2. Primary school aged children should be accompanied by an adult and older children should walk in groups. For those older children setting off on their own (in a group but without an adult) ; do they have permission from a parent or carer, have they agreed on the location and timeframe to trick or treat, how will they check in with a parent or carer, what is their safety plan if they feel unsafe? 3. Discuss 'public and private' places and spaces. Children should remain in public spaces such as the footpath, drive way and outside the front door. Remind children that they should not enter other people's houses as this is their private space. 4. Road safety is also important on Halloween (USA stats indicate that a child is twice as likely to be run over on Halloween night). Discuss how to cross roads safely, looking out for cars on driveways and having glow-sticks or bright colours on their costumes. 5. Talk about Warning Signs. For many children, Halloween is a 'fun and scary' activity, ask them "What early warning signs do you feel when you see other people dressed up in scary costumes"? "What cool down strategies could you use if someone scares you"? (these are regulation strategies such as deep breathing, positive self talk, maybe consider encouraging your child to bring a regulation tool such as a stress ball/squishy/spinner etc to use if they start to feel a lot of Early Warning Signs). "What could someone do if they rang the doorbell of a house and started to feel Warning Signs"? 6. Using their networks. Remind children that they have their trusted network adults to call upon if they feel unsafe during trick or treating or if they want to get in touch with them after. A great time to review their network and make sure they have current contact details. Parent idea... If you are planning on taking your younger children trick or treating in your immediate neighbourhood, do a letterbox drop a few days before reminding the neighbours in your street that you will be calling around on the 31st (with the approximate time). This is a great way to build community connections and meet people in your street! Happy Halloween #wachildsafetyservices #safety #emotions #warningsigns #networks #protectivebehaviours
